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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26401777">Chest Pains &amp; Flower Petals</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostof_awriter/pseuds/ghostof_awriter'>ghostof_awriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Flowers, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, Injury, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One Shot, Pain, solangelo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:09:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26401777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostof_awriter/pseuds/ghostof_awriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Warmth. Sunshine. Clear skies. Tanned skin. Freckles. Bright cheeks. Blue eyes.</p><p>Him.</p><p>Nico has a secret that's slowly killing him. Literally.<br/>He feels he is on the wrong end of an unrequited love and he can't admit it to anyone, especially the boy on the other end.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nico di Angelo &amp; Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>108</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chest Pains &amp; Flower Petals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is shorter than what i wanted, but i still feel this wraps things up well enough for this little one shot.<br/>please enjoy x</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chest Pains &amp; Flower Petals, Vers. 1</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Warmth. Sunshine. Clear skies. Tanned skin. Freckles. Bright cheeks. Blue eyes.</p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Him. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Nico woke up in the darkness of his cabin, dim light forcing its way through the slight slit in the curtains. Sitting up, he groaned and carded a hand through his hair, messy from sleep. He sat in the still calm of the morning for a moment longer, hand now covering his face, before sighing and inching to the edge of the bed. Swinging his legs over, he hissed at the contact when his feet hit the floor and jerked them up slightly, before relaxing again and standing up.</p><p> </p><p>He stalked over to the dresser near the bathroom and searched for some clothes for the day. After finding something he deemed good enough, he tugged on the dark shirt and jeans and slipped a belt around his waist. Once he was fully dressed, he moved to the door to exit the cabin.</p><p> </p><p>Stepping out of the dark cabin, he had to squint and raise his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the flaming ball of fuckery in the sky. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, you look awake this morning!" a voice calls cheekily to him from his left. </p><p> </p><p>"Shut up, Solace. I don't want to hear it from you, sunny." Nico replied, rolling his eyes as the blonde approached him. </p><p> </p><p>Will grinned, throwing an arm around Nico's shoulder and pulling him into him. "Not my fault I'm a kid of the sun god." </p><p> </p><p>The dark haired boy stumbled, and shoved away from Will, crossing his arms and huffing in annoyance. </p><p> </p><p>"Gods, Will, you are REALLY asking to get punched already." </p><p> </p><p>He waved his hand in response, dismiss-fully. "Ah, don't act like you'd hurt me on purpose. You like me."</p><p> </p><p>A voice in Nico’s head whispered something about that being the whole point, but he quickly shoved that back into the depths where he wouldn’t be able to find it again for a good while. Instead, he settled for a simple:</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, whatever you wanna think."</p><p> </p><p>"Great! I’ll make it so I'm right. Let's go eat." Will chirped back as they headed to the dining pavilion.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>After eating a bit, mostly forced by Will, Nico made his way back to his cabin by himself. He told Will that he wanted to clean up a bit before inspection, but it was very clearly white lie. His cabin was always clean, so it never needed to be “tidied” before the weekly check. However, it was still better than the truth.</p><p> </p><p>While eating and engaging in his usual light bickering with Will, Nico could feel a familiar, but dreaded, tightening in his chest and he knew immediately what was coming. He didn't want anyone to know, much less, show any sympathy about “it.” Nothing is going to change, nothing will get rid of it. It was just something he was going to have to deal with until he died from it.</p><p> </p><p>Now, of course, that wasn't his favored option, but it was better than confessing. He would rather choke on his own blood and slowly suffocate on the petals that claw their way up his throat to tumble out of his mouth, than tell anyone...much less him.</p><p> </p><p>The moment Nico made it to his cabin and shut the door, he could taste the familiar bitter sweetness of the bile start to form in his mouth and he dashed to the bathroom. He held his face over the sink basin, his fingers gripping the dark counter tops so tightly his tendons strained and his knuckles turned white. </p><p> </p><p>He gagged as his chest contracted painfully, the soft, velvety petals urging their way up, and then his coughing fit started. The coughing was so intense, Nico found it hard to catch his breath as he saw the blood and equally red petals emerging from his lungs to leap out of his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>It was a disgustingly beautiful sight, seeing the deep red colors of the soft petals and harsh splatters of blood colliding with the dark grey marble. Of course, Nico wouldn't really think much about the grotesque scene while he felt he was hacking up a lung (which, in all honesty, probably would have been better than this).</p><p> </p><p>This fit lasted in all about five minutes, but it was nonstop. He could only feel the end coming, however, when there was a feeling as though he was trying to regurgitate a large pill and a full bloom popped out of his mouth and fell to the sink, followed by pin-drop silence. </p><p> </p><p>Weakly, Nico swiped the back of his hand against his mouth to catch the blood and rinsed the sink down to get rid of what was in the sink. Next, he picked up the petals to throw them in the trash, making a mental note to toss it out later to hide the evidence. Returning to the sink, he brought shaking hands under the falling water, washing them and collecting enough to rinse off his face to clear the traces that were still visible against his pale skin. </p><p> </p><p>He was tired and his whole body felt sore, so he sunk to the ground. He leaned his head against the wall behind him, but he whimpered slightly as the action brought forward a stabbing pain shot through his chest once more before quieting.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I can handle this. I’ve experienced worse,” he thought as a tear dropped on his cheek.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I can handle this. </em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <b>**Two Week Time Skip**</b>
</p><p> </p><p>There was a knock at his cabin door, and Nico turned over in his bed and weakly shouted, "Go away." He didn't want to see anyone right now, not like this. Over the past two weeks, he tried to remain as normal as possible. He hung out with Will, he trained, and he was trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but that was a big mistake. </p><p> </p><p>While he could avoid suspicions, he couldn’t avoid his feelings, and it was starting to show. His body was constantly aching, his coughing fits were coming more frequently and lasting longer, and he became even paler with even more sunken features.</p><p> </p><p>He looked almost like he did when he finally got out of the jar he was trapped in for over a week.</p><p> </p><p>In short, he wasn’t doing well. </p><p> </p><p>"C'mon, Death Boy, lemme in." Will called from the door. Nico stilled, and his eyes widened a bit. <em> Shit, he's here. </em></p><p> </p><p>"I said, go away, Solace." Nico called again and turned away from the door again.</p><p> </p><p>"Please? I know you're sick."</p><p> </p><p>"So, what about it?"</p><p> </p><p>A pause. "Nico, I'm literally the head doctor here."</p><p> </p><p>Nico sighed and pulled a pillow over his face. He groaned into it, then tossed it aside saying, "You're not going to leave unless I let you in, right?"</p><p> </p><p>"But of course."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That stubborn bastard. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Fine, I guess you can come in, doctor."</p><p> </p><p>The door opened and Nico scrunched up his face, already not used the the “harsh” light since his curtains have been drawn for the past two days he's been "sick." </p><p> </p><p>Will closed the door gently behind him, and walked over to Nico’s bed. He carefully sat down on the edge. Nico inched away from the contact just ever so slightly, but it didn’t escape from Will’s vision. A look of further concern crossed his carefully freckled face and Nico’s chest tightened for a reason different from that of which he has been experiencing as of late. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you doing all right? It’s been a few days since I’ve checked in.” His voice comes softly, wafting over Nico and soothing him a bit even though it’s that same voice that makes him tense at all other hours of the day. He can hear a bit of his southern drawl being dragged through his words to settle on Nico.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, sunny. I’m just a bit under the weather.” Nico replies, a smirk crossing his face with a small coughing fit following. </p><p> </p><p>It’s not due to the hanahaki infecting his lungs, but rather from the coughing that is an effect of the ailments that is leaving his throat dry and scratchy. A hand makes a way to his forehead and Nico leans away from the touch a little, and an apologetic smile appears on the blonde’s face. “Sorry, I know you’re not a huge fan of contact. I just wanna check your temperature.”</p><p> </p><p>Upon that, Nico’s face reddens a bit further and not because of any fever he may or may not be running. “No, no, it’s fine. I invited you in to be all doctor-y.” he replies hoarsely. Will chuckled, and removed his hand, letting the darker haired boy’s bangs shift back into place. While he wished the contact lasted longer, he also was glad the time the hand was placed there was brief. Gods forbid anything happen while Will was there.</p><p> </p><p>Will reaches into his bag that Nico didn’t even realize was there to pull out a stethoscope, in the meantime saying, “Well, you don’t seem to be running a fever right now, so that’s good. I just wanna check a few other things and I’ll be out of your hair.”</p><p> </p><p>Bringing the device up to Nico’s chest, Will instructs him to breath normally, slow in, slow out moving it each time. After finishing the front, he makes a “tsk” sound and lifts Nico’s shirt up to place the cool metal directly on the other boy’s back. He flinches a bit at the harsh contrast between the cool and the sticky hotness of skin. </p><p> </p><p>Will pulls the stethoscope away and tucks it back into his bag, before frowning slightly at Nico. “Hey, this may sound weird, but do you know the reason that you’re sick?” He freezes, not knowing how to answer the question in a nonchalant way. He knows <em> exactly </em> why he’s sick and what, or rather <em> who </em>, caused it, but he could never tell Will that. </p><p> </p><p>“No, not really. I just assumed I had a cold. Why, is there something wrong…?” the pale boy replies, albeit a bit hesitant.</p><p> </p><p>A sigh comes from the camp doctor, before he glances away and back. “Oh, not necessarily, it’s just…” he pauses, seeming to look for the right words. “Your lungs sound <em> really </em> congested. Worse than anything I’ve ever heard before, to be fully honest with you.” he finishes, scratching the back of his neck.</p><p> </p><p>What little color is left in Nico di Angelo’s face drains away as he’s left to sit in a state of shock about himself. He didn’t even consider the facts that Will would be able to tell there was something wrong with that because he didn’t even think about the simplest idea that the flowers <em> come from his lungs </em>. He has to take a minute to shake that off, and when he does, he turns to Will asking, “So...what does that mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Will heaves a sigh before letting his shoulders slump. “Well, it’s looking like you’re going to need to spend some more time in the infirmary. That way I can keep an eye on you and make sure your condition doesn’t worsen...and <em> if </em> it does, then we’ll need to take precautions based on that.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico’s blood runs cold, and his eyes widen. <em> No, no, no, this isn’t how it’s supposed to turn out. It was supposed to be quick. Just...fade away one day. Not be stuck here and be pushed further to...him. </em></p><p> </p><p>His next words came out shaky, but he tried to disguise it as simply being in a weakened state from being sick. “O-oh. I mean, if that’s what you think is best. But, can I get the rest of today, just to see if it goes away? Test if the gods are in my favor?”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde looked at him, examining him closely, then sighed again. “All right. But <em> only </em> today.” Will settled on. “I’m only doing this once, though. But tomorrow, when I swing by, if things are still like this-”</p><p> </p><p>Nico held up a hand to stop him, and finished his words for him. “Then I’ll be hauled off to the infirmary, yeah, yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled, and Nico could feel the gut wrench in his gut. <em> Now I’m getting him involved in this. I’m in too deep. I need to throw him off. </em></p><p> </p><p>Picking up his bag after carefully fitting everything back inside, he approached the door to leave. Placing his hand on the handle, he turned back, flashing a smile again, and said, “Get some rest and see you in the morning, Death Boy.” and then he was gone.</p><p> </p><p>He slumped back against the headboard, feeling drained. He hated lying to everyone, especially Will, but it was the only thing he could do at this point. He’s not going to find anything through the infirmary trip, if he does end up going, and it’ll be overlooked. He’ll be kept there until he rots from the inside out, but that’s what’s best for everyone here.</p><p> </p><p>It has to be like this. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>A knock at his door came early the next morning.</p><p>He was able to answer pretty quickly, despite still feeling a bit sickly from the previous night and his lack of sleep, but he managed to fix himself up enough to make it seem like he hadn’t forgone sleep to instead dislodge the flowers caught in his lungs, paired in the worst pain of his life just a few hours ago.</p><p>“Moring, Solace.” Nico said, albeit a little dryly, when he opened the door.</p><p>“Morning! You’re up early. Feeling better?” Will asked when Nico stepped aside to gesture for him to enter the cabin.</p><p> </p><p>Moving over to his bed to sit on the edge, he nodded and said, “Yeah, actually. I don’t feel as weak and tired, and my breathing seems to be better.”</p><p>Again, Will was smiling brightly and it pained Nico to see that. It pained him to be lying to the boy he loved on so many levels that he questions which pain is <em> actually </em> worse. </p><p>Getting out what he had yesterday, Will just says, “Well, I’ll check to see if everything is good today, and if it is, I won’t bug you anymore. Deal?”</p><p>Nico nodded again and sat quietly during the examination. Will worked quietly. The cabin lay in silence. </p><p>“Breath.”</p><p>In. Out.</p><p>“Again.”</p><p>In. Out.</p><p>In. Out.</p><p>The cold press of metal flush against warmed skin.</p><p>In. Out.</p><p>“Okay. Your lungs seem...much better, actually. They don’t sound that clogged, so maybe something was just off yesterday. I think you’re all good.” he said, wonder apparent on his face. </p><p>Nico heaved a sigh of relief, but didn't make it known that the reason his lungs were clearer was because he had been busy forcefully ejecting clumps of petals from his body. But, he should have known that relief wouldn’t last long.</p><p>As soon as Will’s hand touched the doorknob, Nico’s inside twisted painfully, and he let out a choked yelp. He could feel a sudden increase of pressure in his lungs that made it feel like they were going to pop like balloons. He became light headed and stumbled to the nearest bed, gripping on for dear life as he started coughing so hard he was seeing spots. </p><p>He looked up to the door where Will had turned around, his bag laying abandoned on the floor with supplies sprawling out. The darker haired boy couldn’t feel the familiar “bile” rise, but the metallic taste of blood reached his tongue and his stomach dropped. <em> Oh no. Not here, not now. Not with </em> him <em> here. </em>Panic traced his features as these thoughts spiraled through his mind.</p><p>"Woah, woah, hey. What's wrong Nico?" Will asked, the concern evident on his face as he carefully stepped towards the other boy, arms outstretched. </p><p>"No...thing." Nico gasped, shoving the other boy away before falling to his knees coughing.</p><p>Will followed suit, dropping to his knees, putting a hand on Nico's back and the other on his opposite shoulder to have brown eyes meet blue. "Obviously something isn't right, Nico. You're hacking up a lung here! That's <em> not </em> normal. Spill it."</p><p>Irritation took over him. He knew that Solace was just concerned, but that didn’t change the fact that <em> he </em> was the cause. He couldn’t just tell him, ‘oh, yeah, I’ve been coughing up flowers for nearly a month because I realized that I pretty much love you, but know you won’t feel the same way, so I’ve decided to suffer as I slowly die.’ Because <em> that </em> would go over well. </p><p>"Shove off, Solace! I'm-" he coughed, spewing a few drops of blood on the back of his pale hand. "I'm fine. Now get...<em> lost </em>!" </p><p>Will’s normally bright features darkened as Nico brought the hand down from his lips, showing the brilliant red. “Stop <em> lying </em>, Nico.” he growls out, and Nico flinches back from that. </p><p> </p><p>He knows he should really have no choice now, but he just can’t bring himself to say anything. Instead of saying what has been paining for weeks now, he settles on a small, “I’m sorry.” before the world tips and fades out. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He was dead.</p><p> </p><p>He had to be.</p><p> </p><p>There was no other option at this point. He had finally choked on his own unspoken feelings and he was floating in nothing, waiting for his soul to be taken down to the depths of his father’s domain.</p><p> </p><p>And yet, he could still hear and feel in this nothingness.</p><p>There was the unmistakable monotonal beeping of a machine, and quiet voices murmuring something nearby, just out of clear hearing distance. His whole body ached, the pain most prevalent in his chest and throat, which felt as though claws had raked across his neck and ripped out his esophagus.</p><p> </p><p>The voices suddenly stopped, and a shrill scraping sound rang through the area, similar to a curtain being opened, and footsteps leading away from the area. A weight settled near him, and Nico tried to open his eyes, reach out, <em> anything </em> to make contact. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Do it. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Move. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Move, gods dammit! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>And then he did it. He managed to just barely twitch his finger and suddenly the weight was gone.</p><p> </p><p>“Nico? Nico?” </p><p> </p><p>Silence. He could feel his eyelids twitch, so he scrunched them and slowly opened them. Staring down at him was a familiar freckled face, eyes blown wide with heavy dark bags lying under his still startling blue eyes. Look at him, it looked like he was about to cry, but also like he had been, as his nose was red and his eyes were puffy, too (he was a mess. A beautiful mess, but a mess nonetheless).</p><p> </p><p>Nico looked up at him and smiled weakly and said, “Hello, sunshine.” His voice sounded scratchy and  foriegn to his own ears.</p><p> </p><p>Will smiled back, and wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb. “Gods, Nico. I…” he sniffled, and took a deep breath. “I thought I was gonna lose you, Death Boy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, I’m too hard to get rid of.” he cockily replied, and tried to sit up, but immediately felt like he was going to be sick.</p><p> </p><p>Will was on him in an instant, bringing his hands forward to steady him, despite all the tubes around them. “Woah, woah, easy. You’re still not in perfect condition. In fact…” he glanced away and bit his lip. “We should probably talk about it. I know.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico paled. <em> What did he know? Did he know it was….him? </em> </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, what do you mean?” he asked, obviously hesitant.</p><p> </p><p>“I know about the whole flower petal, thing. You have Hanahaki Disease, Nico. I know you know this, and now I do too.”</p><p> </p><p>He hung his head and let out a soft ‘oh.’</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, ‘oh.’ Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked and gently helped Nico into a better sitting position for conversing.</p><p> </p><p>The pale boy sat for a moment, picking his words carefully. “I, uh...I couldn’t.”</p><p> </p><p>He looked at Will expectantly, but he still seemed to be waiting for an answer, but the concern on his face was quickly being replaced with annoyance. “Care to explain? Or do you want me to just tell you what we can do about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“The latter, please. I...still don’t think I can tell you.”</p><p> </p><p>Will huffed out a breath and crossed his arms before standing to look down at Nico. “Okay, so from what I can see, we have two options for you.” he started, and held up two fingers to make his point. “Number one, we can find out <em> who </em> and see if things turn out with the whole ‘I like you, kiss me and heal me’ thing. I mean, who knows? Number two...we can perform a surgery to remove the flowers, but there are some serious drawbacks.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico sat, waiting for the rest. He continued. “While the surgery will cure you, it will also remove all feelings towards the person, not just the love, and remove most, if not all, memories involving that person as well.”</p><p> </p><p>Upon hearing those last words, his stomach dropped to his feet and the world was spinning again. His heart pounded and he found it hard to breathe. <em> No more Will? Oh gods… </em></p><p> </p><p>The son of Apollo nodded, and finished with saying, “You can kinda see which method is preferred. Granted, it’s not 100% known what all of the effects of the surgery are because this is extremely rare, but with things like this, you’d probably rather not take any chances.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico nodded, still stunned. <em> What do I do? What </em> can <em> I do? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Is there a time limit? Or deciding which I want to do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Based on the last episode you had, I would give you two days tops to make a decision before we decided to do the surgery for you.”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded again. He had two days to decide. </p><p> </p><p>Two days.</p><p> </p><p>Now, the first day that passed by was hard. He not only had to think about what decision he had to make, but also work on trying to get better and out of this weak state. His whole mind was: <em> Do I tell him? If I do, then it can go one of two ways - still get the surgery because I was rejected or actually be successful and something happens.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Which is better? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He thinks he knows what’s best for everyone, especially for himself and the ones he loves.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure I want to do this.” Nico stubbornly tells Will who stands looking down at him, arms crossed and a smile playing at his lips. </p><p> </p><p>Nico stares back up at him, just as determined despite his still weakened state. “Oh, so, you came out here with me just to tell me those words? Nothing else? Nothing...<em> specific </em>?” Will questions playfully, his grin widening. The shorter boy huffs, and rolls his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I <em> already </em> said what I want to do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, you said what you didn’t want to do.” Will retorts and Nico shoves him lightly when he chuckles.</p><p> </p><p>Taking a breath and sobering the good mood, Nico states, “I want to go with the first option. It’s what’s best.”</p><p> </p><p>Will smiles again, and the light gleams in his eyes in just the right way to make them shimmer in a brighter way than usual. His tanned skin stands out from his shaggy, curled hair and galaxies dance across all surfaces of his skin. </p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t look more like a god if he tried.</p><p> </p><p>“So, do you want me to come with you? Or do you think you can make it on your own?” he asks, leaning against the outside wall and crossing over his legs in a casual manor.</p><p> </p><p>Nico glances down and shuffles his feet slightly, trying to further gain courage for this moment. “I, uh, actually need you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh?” Solace asks, eyebrows raising and returning to a standard standing position, sensing the again sudden mood shift. The son of Hades can feel the tension growing as Will waits in anticipation for the next step, and he spins his skull ring around his finger out of nervous habit. <em> Deep breaths, Nico. You can do it. Just a few little words… </em></p><p> </p><p>“It’s you.”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde’s face contorts in obvious confusion, and Nico and practically <em> see </em> the gears turning as he absorbs the words Nico just essentially projectile vomited onto him. Then his eyes widen and he lets out a soft, ‘oh.’</p><p> </p><p>The other boy gives a small nod, and weakly says, “Well, at least we know the surgery is still an option.” and chuckles sadly, as if he were about to cry. That was quickly stopped when a hand landed gently on his cheek and tilted his face up so onyx met sky. </p><p> </p><p>“Who said anything about needing a surgery?” he asked, voice soft and caring.</p><p> </p><p>Nico stood frozen, eye wide, and stuttered out, “Well, I, uh...I just thought-”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s nothing <em> to </em> think about.” Will said, a slightly sad smile. “You should have said something sooner. I could have healed you sooner.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico wanted to reply, but he felt there was nothing else to say, and he saw a tear shine on Solace’s cheek. “Alright then.” he finally said after a bit of silence between the two. “Aren’t you going to help, doctor?”</p><p> </p><p>And at that moment, Nico could feel comfort from those damned flowers lingering in his lungs as they bloomed inside him, and he understood everything.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading &lt;3<br/>i hope to make the alternate ending/story soon and post that within the next couple weeks.</p><p>**i do apologize for the slightly shitty end, but i couldn't think of anything else to do :(</p></blockquote></div></div>
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